I'm dealing with cucumber beetles, and rather than use my Bonide 8 Insect Pyrethrin-based Pesticide, I wanted to go more organic. I also wanted something stronger than Safer Soap. Before it was banned, nicotine was used by our grandparents and great-grandparents (and their parents, etc.) as a great pesticide. Don't use this on Tomatoes (but I think boiling kills any viruses, like Mosaic Viruses so it might be fine--so double check that). Nicotine Tea Pesticide Items Needed: Gloves Recommended Funnel 1 gallon container Spray Bottle Lots of Cigarette butts / Cigar Butts / Chewing Tobacco / Tobacco Leafs Old Pot hold 1 gal water Stove/Induction Burner Dish Soap or Olive Oil (I've heard Dawn works, but be careful with it. Castile Soap/Olive Oil would be safer) Strainer, Pantyhose, cheese-cloth, old dirty underwear, coffee filter, etc. 2-3 Cloves Garlic Dave's Insanity Sauce / Tabasco Sauce / Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce / Hell, maybe Taco Bell Fire/Diablo Sauce *Cook outside, if possible Collect Butts. Put in pot. Add 1 gal water. Mix a little bit. Bring to Boil. Boil for 20 minutes. Stir every few min. Should be a nasty dark tea. Ew. Let it cool for a few hours/overnight. Strain/Filter into a 1 gallon container. Use whatever method works for you to get as much of the juice into the bottle (using a funnel may help). Label this bottle, "Dead Bug Stuff", (stole from you-tube video). Draw a nice little picture of a dead bug too. This is your concentrate bottle. Store it in a cool and dark place. Should keep for a few weeks. If the liquid is really dark (i.e. not iced-tea translucent), maybe dilute by 2/3 instead of 1/2. If its tea colored, dilute by 1/2: Fill Spray bottle with 1/3 to 1/2 of Nicotine Juice (depending on how strong/dark it is). Add couple/few drops of soap to spray bottle. Peel and dice/crush/press garlic in a bowl/container. Add hot-sauce and little bit of water (1/3rd-1/4 cup water--enough to mix--I dunno) to bowl. Maybe use (you will have to trial and error this) 3-4 tablespoons of hot-sauce. Mix. (at this point, you can let garlic/hot-sauce mixture stand for few minutes, or longer-like overnight). *Use warm/hot water to make garlic/hot-sauce concoction stronger. Then, filter/strain/squeeze this garlic/hot-sauce mixture to spray bottle, and fill remainder of spray bottle with water. Shake well, and spray top and bottom, both sides of leaves of plants. Do this in the morning or in the evening. Will have to repeatably apply through growing season. (Maybe every 4-10 days) and after any rain. The little fuckers should avoid the smell/taste of the nicotine/garlic/hot-sauce and for some bugs, will kill on contact. Supposed to be good for mites, and larvae, aphids, etc. Might kill cucumber beetles, but if not, it *should* keep them away. Apply frequently (every 4-10 days or so). Nicotine will evaporate/dissipate away quickly. Will kill beneficials, but this pesticide is short lived and more organic than the chemicals available commercially. This is what our grandpas and great-grandpas used back in the day before it was banned commercially, and it WORKED. The stench making it, makes me want to quit smoking cigarettes. Can add other special blends of herbs and spices to give it your signature *BAM* that Emeril Lagasse would approve of. Lots of variations to this. First time I made it (today), I forgot to add soap. The soap allows it to stick to the leaves more. When I do it again, I'll add soap. The world will not end if you forgot to add soap. If using Dawn, DO NOT USE TOO MUCH. It will strip the protective oils of the leaves which can open them up for infection. But even then, whether it's Olive Oil, or Dawn, or castile soap, you're only adding couple/few drops to help emulsify everything and to help cling to leafs. I would love to hear other people's recipe variations of this insecticide. I don't have pics of straining it, etc., sorry. But hopefully instructions here and found elsewhere should give you a good idea.
No thanks. Just the word nicotine makes me want to puke. Long ago when people used tobacco/nicotine as a pesticide they also thought smoking tobacco wasn't bad for you.
I remember seeing those old vintage ads for cigarettes saying, "Doctor Approved!". Some doctor saying fake medical advice saying those were good for you!--lol. Blowing smoke: Vintage ads of doctors endorsing tobacco No argument. I need to quit.
I quite 14 years ago. One of the best things I ever did and it's not just for my health either. I'm no longer cranky if I'm out or in a place i cant smoke. I no longer smell like a turd and neither does my house or kids. My sense of smell and taste has improved. I clean the windshields in my trucks far less.....and most of all I can run forest, run
Does spraying ya weed with man made pesticides get you hooked on yours? Neem is as organic as nicotine. Just in case you go that route with your argument. But I'll help you out. It does tend to kill more beneficials--got me. So it will be applied early/late in the day to avoid killing any pollinators buzzing around. Also it doesn't stick around as long as other pesticides so it has to be applied more often. Like neem (which has been used for hundreds of years), nicotine has been used for thousands. I have no problem with neem. Hell, I might end up using some this year--I don't know. This is just a cheap, organic solution with what is on hand. Not everyone has to grow the same way. And no, you won't taste it, or get you hooked on it. If that was the case, are you addicted to Tomatoes? Shit, you got me. I kinda am. I love Tomatoes! It must be the small amount of nicotine found in Tomatoes.I guess that's filth too. Along with potatoes, dark chocolate, eggplant (yuk), cauliflower, peppers--all filth! And your retort?